Cold case from 2001 had suspects, speculation, and rumors but no one has been charged in brazen murder

By Sienna Snider, True Crime Writer for Today in Fort Smith

On May 26, 2001, 27-year-old Tammy Lynne Jarvis was brutally murdered in Fort Smith.

Jarvis was stabbed and then thrown from a truck in broad daylight in an alleyway behind the Garden Lodge on North 11th Street.

Witnesses reported that after being thrown from the truck, Jarvis managed to stumble a few feet to the corner before collapsing. Despite the efforts of bystanders who rushed to her aid, she was pronounced dead upon arrival at the hospital. The official cause of death was a single stab wound to the chest.

Over the years, stories have circulated that some witnesses saw Jarvis being thrown from a white compact truck with a blue design along the side, possibly bearing Oklahoma tags.

Jarvis, who had been residing at the Garden Lodge in downtown Fort Smith, was rumored to have been involved in an argument with a man just days before her death. According to a witness, the man she was seen arguing with drove a truck matching the description of the vehicle she was thrown from on May 26.

An article from the Southwest Times Record in June 2017 criticized the police investigation, stating, “The police never even took a proper report. There is no justice for Tammy, most likely because she was a prostitute, and nobody cares to take that case and run with it.”

Authorities have interviewed many suspects in connection with Tammy Lynne Jarvis' murder, but her case remains unsolved.

If you have any information about the murder of Tammy Lynne Jarvis, please contact the Fort Smith Police Department at 479-709-5100 or Today in Fort Smith at todayinfortsmith@gmail.com.